Iceland is extremely safe and welcoming. Honestly, one of the coolest places I've been on the planet. Nothing else like it. The geography and ecology of that island is just cool as hell lol.

The people are all very kind and welcoming and it has a sort of communal vibe that is partly a mix of island and Scandinavian cultures. Awesome place and awesome people.

It is expensive. That is the only thing I would say is a drawback. For me, I think it is definitely worth it.

Wife took her whole education in Hungary (Budapest) graduated in 2016 Its nice, but shit got weird for her friend from the Maldives as she was not white. Don't know if it has changed, but don't think POC will have a good time.

And all of eastern Europe is dogshit for LGBTQ

I'm from Iceland, if you go study in Iceland you're guaranteed Northern lights. If you buddy up with someone with a car you can see plenty of sights since Icelanders in Reykjavik don't go out too much but are very often up to going out to the country. If you like camping Iceland has amazing camping grounds, mornings are cold but camp sites have often heated kitchens and hot showers. Requires a tent, sleeping bag and inflatable mattress and a car.

Easter uni break is a whole week, budget for renting a car with other students who are staying in Iceland to go to more distant places.

Downside is that is pretty expensive, especially compared to Hungary. Hungary has shit rail but Flixbus can get you anywhere you want with less money and comfort.

Both very good options.

For your interest in cultural history, I think that Budapest would win, as it has been a crossroads for centuries. For environmental studies, Iceland would win hands down. They are global leaders in that field.

Something that has not been mentioned yet is that Budapest is rather large, with a metropolitan population of over 2 million. The entire country of Iceland has under 400K people. Iceland is remote and feels remote. To me, that's perfect. Your results may vary.

Having been to both I would say both are amazing but Budapest is your best bet for studying and enjoying a quintessential European atmosphere. Iceland is starkly beautiful but you aren't going to able to see the whole country properly unless you do a week or two long road trip. It's also considerably more expensive especially to eat out. People are kind but more reserved and distanced.

Budapest is a central hub to an incredible array of European trips that you can do on a weekend with public transport. Being in the east it's also relatively cheap. It's a big city full of young people, nightlife and culture with a rich history that you can walk to and experience every day.

What are you studying? Are there good programs relevant to your field of study there?

Iceland is a very safe country and millions of tourists from all over (including the US) come to visit, so that shouldn't be your main concern.

Fuck yeah.

Pick whichever you might want to settle in. Chances are you will end up not - but just in case it might be an option.
Source: college buddy met, married someone in korea and is there now

Yes Iceland is an incredibly beautiful country. The cost of living there is a little higher than Hungary and the people are a little more reserved at first but overall is a fantastic place. It's slightly easier to visit the rest of Europe from Hungary than Iceland but both are great options and for the course you mentioned might be the better option. The water there takes a little while to get used to. If you don't choose to study there you should definitely visit.

Iceland 100%

If you want a more comfortable bourgeoise experience, perhaps. I've never been to either country, but from reading, Iceland would be more comfortable. Hungary may give more opportunity from getting working poor perspectives, particularly teachers. But reading is 2-D, IRL is 3-D. Perhaps a year in each is possible?